The Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival session ‘Close Encounters’ saw renowned actor Divya Dutta in conversation with filmmaker Sangeeta Datta about her new book, Stars in my Sky. The book explores people and influences from the film world.

“Many people had an influence on me in my acting career. For example, Amitabh Bachchan was one of the reasons why I wanted to become an actor. This is true for many other actors as well. I saw his film as a young girl and I was so mesmerized that I wanted to be a part of this world. This along with my mother’s support, I began my journey in the world of acting. There have been ups and downs but I have learned a lot and I still keep on learning daily” said the actress.

This is the actress-turned-author’s second book. Her first book was Me and Ma which threw light on her amazing relationship with her mother.

In her second book, she narrated her experiences with actors like Shabana Azmi, Amitabh Bachchan, Juhi Chawla, Irfan Khan, Sonali Bendre, and many more. Each chapter is a revelation and shows that these actors are just human beings just like the others.

She talked about her experience of working with Amitabh Bachchan. She worked with him in Baghban where she played the mean daughter-in-law. She was so excited to work with Big B that even Big B was surprised by her chirpiness and excitement.

The actress said “I had to behave meanly with him while I was acting. This took a toll on me. I cried very much one day after I went home. However, one thing that I learned from Amitabh Bachchan is that one must know how to detach themselves from the roles one plays once they go back home.  This was a great learning as an actor”.

The session was an interesting one and kept the audience engaged.

Video link of the event- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPuEgK4Cgzw

Priyanka Dutta